What is "taxidea taxus"

Badger \Badg"er\, n. [OE. bageard, prob. fr. badge + -ard, in reference to the white mark on its forehead. See Badge,n.]

1. A carnivorous quadruped of the genus Meles or of an allied genus. It is a burrowing animal, with short, thick legs, and long claws on the fore feet. One species ( Meles meles or Meles vulgaris), called also brock, inhabits the north of Europe and Asia; another species ( Taxidea taxus or Taxidea Americana or Taxidea Labradorica) inhabits the northern parts of North America. See Teledu.

2. A brush made of badgers' hair, used by artists.

   Badger dog. (Zo["o]l.) See Dachshund.